JONES: Keith Gretzky to run Edmonton Oilers draft table

Keith Gretzky will run the June 21-22 NHL Entry Draft for the Edmonton Oilers.

“We’re going forward with the idea Keith will oversee the draft as he essentially has done anyway the last two years with Bob Green and the amateur scouting staff,” Oilers Entertainment Group vice chairman Bob Nicholson informed me prior to the team heading out on a three-game road trip to Phoenix, Las Vegas and St. Louis.

“Our process of identifying and interviewing candidates for the vacant positions of President of Hockey Operations and General Manager is going to continue to be exhaustive and we might not have the opportunity to talk to all the potential candidates until well into the playoffs or perhaps even until they are over.

“We’d like to have the GM in place before the draft, but we are comfortable with Keith continuing in his current role to fill that transition period.”

As assistant GM under Peter Chiarelli, Gretzky was almost entirely focused on the drafting and development side that went from a continuous weakness to a significant strength since his arrival.

Chiarelli wasn’t like a lot of GMs who became hands-on during the draft and Gretzky believes in allowing Bob Green and the scouts who are out there watching 200 games a year to follow through to the end and trust their work.

“I have a handle on the players in the first two rounds and Green and his guys have a handle on the entire draft. I think they’re on the right page. I’ll see a little of the guys in the first two rounds again between now and the and I’ll be headed over to Europe as well.”

Gretzky said he’s only interfered on one pick in the past two years, believing it would be worth the wait on six-foot-five American high school prospect, right-hand shooting Michael Kesselring, who had decided to go the college route. Gretzky made him a sixth round selection.

This year, you can bet, they’ll be looking hard at wingers.

One thing that’s happened this season, in which the defense has often looked like a fire drill, particularly while Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera were both out of the lineup, was become an entirely different entity from an organizational point of view while that was happening.

“Defence is the strength of our organization right now. We have a lot of guys coming. They’re not ready yet. But they’re definitely coming,” said Gretzky.

Caleb Jones, William Lagesson, Evan Bouchard, Dmitri Samorukov, Ethan Bear, Joel Persson and Logan Day have so clearly been developing this hockey season that the organization is completely confident that they are all on their way, at one pace or another, to NHL careers.

“Jones has been very good. He’s been a lot more physical lately and his skating and puck-moving have been developing nicely, too,” he said of the left-handed shot following the footsteps of his brother Seth of the Nashville Predators who played in 17 games with the Oilers with a goal and five assists in the fall.

Jones has produced 23 points in 39 games including five goals in Bakersfield and is a plus-nine.

A real comer is Lagesson who is playing big minutes on the farm and has chipped in with 25 points on offence in 56 games including seven goals with a plus 23.

“His play has been outstanding,” said Gretzky.

“He’s a smart two-way defenceman. He’s not pretty-looking, but how well he’s played in his first year in North America has been a pleasant, pleasant surprise. His compete level is off the charts.”

Bear, who played 18 games with the Oilers with a goal and three assists, has spent the entire season with Bakersfield, developing at a different pace.

“He’s been bit by injury here and there and having had a taste of the NHL, I think he may have expected it to be easier to get back but he’s coming,” said Gretzky.

Bear has played 44 AHL games this season with 22 points and is a plus-24.

Like Jones, Bear is one of the species of right-handed puck moving defenceman that are so treasured today. He’s provided 31 points including six goals.

“He’s been very, very surprising. He’s taking a lot of pride in his defensive play and Dave Manson has done a phenomenal job with him,” Gretzky said.

The six-foot-three Bouchard, 19, Edmonton drafted 10th overall last spring and returned to the London Knights after playing seven games with the Oilers and scoring his first NHL goal. You get the idea the Oilers wished they’d have been able to send him to the AHL instead.

“He’s almost too good for the league,” said Gretzky who figures he’s likely going to need AHL time to be reprogrammed.

“It’s going to be good for him turning pro. His natural ability got him through most situations in junior.”

Bouchard has 49 points in 43 games including 13 goals. He’s a plus 30. Dmitri Samorukov has 44 points, including 10 goals in 58 games and is a plus 37 after the Oilers picked him in the third round last year.

“Samorukov has been outstanding in Guelph. Just outstanding. He’s the No. 1 power play guy and a very good two-way player,” said Gretzky.

“The kid came over two years ago and didn’t speak a word of English. He speaks the language great now. He’s had a phenomenal year. We’re really, really happy with him.”

Persson is another right side puck-moving defenceman. He stayed in Sweden to play in 50 games so far with Vaxjo Lakers where he’s recorded 31 points and has been a plus eight.

“Jones, Lageson, Persson and Bear should push for a shot at making it next year. They won’t all make it. And we’re definitely not going to rush anybody. But they’re well on their way.

“Our plan is to have all these guys push and push until they force us to make a move.”

Gretzky says it’s making the big picture plan easier to deal with. With the situation on defense soon to solve itself the organization can go to the drafting, dealing and signing in free agency, with what little they have to work with when it comes to the salary cap.

“We have to find help up front,” he said. “The holes we can concentrate on filling are up front.”

Head coach Ken Hitchcock made an interesting observation on that front between games this week.

“There are two things you look at when you’re gauging a team. How many 20-goal scorers does a team have and how many double-digit scorers do you have. If you have nine or more double-digit scorers, you pretty much know that’s going to be a playoff team. And if you get to four or five 20 goal-scorers, you know you’ve got a good hockey club.”

With a dozen games to go, Leon Draisaitl has 42, Connor McDavid 34, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 22, Alex Chiasson 20, Zack Kassian 12 and nobody else with more than five all the way down to Tobias Rieder with zero.

Postmedia reporter Trevor Robb speaks with hockey writers Derek Van Diest and Rob Tychkowski on the possibility of the Edmonton Oilers making the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring. The Oilers have pulled within five points of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 13 games left to play.

Is there really an opportunity for the Oilers to get into the playoffs? They are playing their best hockey of the season, currently on a 7-2-1 run. The team is starting to turn skeptics into believers. And even the Hockey Gods seem to be cooperating.

Either way, it’s nice to have the Oilers play meaningful games in March.

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